Original subtitles

[dramatic music]

♪

- It's like a horror movie.

- [distorted voice]

- OK.

- If someone is hell-bent on revenge,

chances are you won't know it until it's too late.

- The only hole in this wall

is where the child's head was laying.

- Tonight, on "The First 48: Critical Minutes"...

- They wanted him dead in the worst way.

- A grieving brother seeks vengeance.

- He made the statement, "I did what the police didn't do."

- Then... - Ah, man.

- An act of revenge leads to a deadly retaliation.

- And... - Unbelievable.

- Innocent people bear the brunt of a man's rage.

♪

- Revenge is a common motive for homicide.

Everybody feels like there's somebody who's wronged them

in some way, shape, form, or fashion in their lifetime,

and people feel like, "I have a responsibility

to my loved ones."

When it comes to taking justice into your own hands,

you do see it as a homicide investigator.

But just imagine if we lived in a society where people

can issue whatever level

of justice that they felt like doing.

♪

- Got a Black male, deceased due to the gunshot wound,

over on St. Clair Avenue.

- I'm familiar with St. Clair--

went to school in that area.

But time has changed that area.

♪

♪

- What'chu got?

- Male shot in the face.

♪

♪

narrator: 36-year-old Kenneth Adams,

known as Blue, was a Cleveland native.

He leaves behind five daughters and a son.

♪

- The shoe over here, his head wound up going this way.

- Right.

narrator: Blue was shot nine times.

[rapid camera shutter clicks]

♪

- Yeah.

narrator: The team finds two types

of shell casings.

♪

- With a shooting in broad daylight,

they wanted him dead in the worst way.

♪

narrator: Then...

- You up here when that shooting happened?

- [distorted voice]

narrator: Detectives find a possible witness

in the building behind the car wash.

- When the shots rung out, where were you?

narrator: The woman says she heard the shots

and saw the victim on the ground.

♪

- Who is Rambo?

♪

narrator: Back at headquarters,

♪

- Alias, Rambo.

narrator: Griffin runs the nickname "Rambo"

in the database.

- Damon Dunn.

narrator: 27-year-old Damon Dunn

has a previous conviction for drug possession.

- Oh, younger brother of Jermaine Dunn--

looks just like him.

♪

narrator: Damon's brother, 31-year-old Jermaine Dunn,

was murdered two months ago.

♪

He left behind three daughters.

♪

- Jermaine Dunn was found burnt in his own vehicle,

up on Bayliss Avenue

in March of this year.

narrator: Griffin and Echols are still investigating

Jermaine's murder, but the case has gone cold.

- There was a rumor that Kenny Blue was involved

in the murder of Jermaine Dunn.

But through our investigations,

we never found anything to substantiate that rumor.

♪

[phone rings]

- Cleveland Homicide, Detective Echols--

can I help you?

narrator: Echols gets a call from an anonymous tipster.

- That part, we had not heard.

♪

All right.

♪

[sighs]

Allegedly, Rambo made the statement

before he ran away,

"I did what the police didn't do."

♪

narrator: Griffin and Echols have a possible motive

for the murder, but they need an eyewitness

who saw Rambo shoot Blue.

- We need someone to come forth

and say, "I saw this guy do it."

Until you get that person to say that,

you don't have anything.

♪

narrator: The next day...

[phone rings]

- Detective Echols-- can I help you?

♪

Bring her down here to the unit.

narrator: Patrol has located a woman

who was at the car wash

when the shooting went down.

- OK.

We're hoping that she can help us ID the shooter

in this particular case.

Then we can go out and get this guy.

♪

narrator: A few hours later...

♪

- So let's start with the time you went up there.

narrator: She says a few minutes

after she got to the car wash,

the suspect walked into the garage.

- Everybody trade pounds?

♪

narrator: She says the shooter held one gun in each hand

and fired at the victim.

♪

♪

We asked Jessie if she recognized anybody

in this photo.

narrator: Damon Dunn is in the photo lineup.

- Pleased to meet you, ma'am.

- She saw a lot.

We'll see if she can pick him out.

- Here you go.

- Hmm. - Do you see anybody

you recognize?

♪

- Just hang in there.

♪

I think you better talk to her.

She's scared.

♪

- I was told that you didn't look at the photos.

- Is it because you recognize someone here

as the shooter?

♪

- Yes.

- No one knows you're down here.

But the truth has to come out.

♪

- OK.

We're gonna get you back home.

♪

I understand.

She's in the hood. She got to live with folk.

Those people refuse to pick this guy.

He can shoot anybody he wants to shoot,

nobody says a word.

- We need witnesses to stand up and say,

"He did it."

No one was willing to talk to us.

♪

narrator: With no one talking,

the case goes cold for three months.

♪

Then...

[phone rings]

- Homicide unit--Griffin.

♪

narrator: The team finally gets a break.

- Really?

Excellent.

narrator: An officer in nearby Bedford Heights

has a man in custody

who claims he witnessed Blue's murder.

- Excellent, excellent.

narrator: The witness was arrested on a drug charge

and wants to cut a deal.

- OK, listen, thanks much, man. I appreciate it.

Excellent, excellent.

If he knows what we think he knows,

he could bust this wide open.

♪

- [sighs]

♪

narrator: The next day, Griffin and Echols arrive

at the Bedford Heights jail,

eager to talk to their new witness.

♪

- I'm Detective Echols.

- [distorted voice]

♪

narrator: The witness identifies Damon Dunn

as the shooter.

♪

- Ice.

Ice, baby. Ice.

Done.

narrator: Detectives Lem Griffin and Art Echols

now have enough to get suspect Damon Dunn off the street.

- I'm gonna put that warrant out today.

narrator: That afternoon...

[sirens wailing]

narrator: The task force starts the hunt for Damon.

♪

Several days later...

♪

- Have a seat, Damon.

narrator: Damon Dunn is finally in custody.

♪

- You know why you're down here.

♪

So at this time, I'm gonna ask you,

do you wanna talk to us or not?

♪

♪

♪

♪

- Damon allegedly killed Kenny Blue

to avenge his brother's death.

However, we have no evidence to prove that Blue was involved

in the murder of Jermaine Dunn.

There's no winners in this case.

Everybody loses.

♪

- It's dangerous to commit a crime with a accomplice

because you're putting your life in this person's hands.

And some people, they live in a world that,

"I just want to eliminate somebody that can identify me

as being responsible or being involved in this crime."

And sadly to say, it results in someone's death.

♪

- A young female was found in a wooded area

by a couple of young kids who were four-wheeling

or dirt biking out there.

♪

Can somebody show us our tent?

- Yeah, I gotta take you back here.

- OK.

How far back in the woods is it?

- 30 feet this way and about 30 feet down.

- OK.

♪

♪

- Oh, man.

Looks young.

- The blood's coming from the left side--

coming out the left side.

- OK.

narrator: The victim has

a single gunshot wound to the head.

♪

narrator: They find a 9-millimeter

shell casing near the body.

narrator: They don't find any ID.

- Someone's gonna know who this girl is.

- I agree.

♪

- Patrol Personnel Hardy met with different residents

of the homes that are surrounding this wooded area.

narrator: Patrol found a teenager

who might have some information.

- Did you hear just one, or did you hear--

- Just one, just one.

♪

- What happened to your neighbor's house?

- I'm not sure if the drive-by is gonna be related,

but at least now we have a probable time of death--

around 2:30 or 3:00 a.m.

♪

I went to autopsy this morning.

The medical examiner was able to positively identify

our victim as Bridgett Frisbie based on her fingerprints.

♪

narrator: 17-year-old Bridgett Frisbie

was a junior at a nearby high school.

She lived 6 miles from where her body was found.

♪

She was an only child.

♪

- So we notified Bridgett's father this morning.

He's up here at the station now.

Actually called us first.

His daughter had been missing since the night before.

♪

narrator: The father thinks her ex-boyfriend,

who lives close to the crime scene,

may know something.

♪

- [sighs]

♪

We'll have to meet with him.

If we could verify he was actually in Austin

at the time that this is believed to have happened,

it kind of eliminates him as a suspect and lets us know

we need to go in a different direction.

♪

narrator: The next day...

- Yes, sir, this is Deputy Cassidy

at the sheriff's office.

narrator: Cassidy gets a break.

- Thanks.

♪

That was my sergeant. He received a phone call

from an attorney who has a client

who was an eyewitness to this murder

and wishes to speak with us.

♪

narrator: The next day,

Cassidy and Fisher prepare to meet with the witness

who claims he knows the killer...

♪

A friend named Alex.

♪

18-year-old Alex Olivieri is a senior in high school.

He has no criminal record.

- He's in the Army Reserve.

I didn't realize you could do that

without graduating high school,

but apparently, he already got

through Army boot camp training.

♪

- Does he know that you're up here today, talking to us?

- [distorted voice]

- Are you afraid of him?

♪

- Let's walk through your day a little bit from Saturday.

narrator: The witness claims Alex did a drive-by shooting

of Bridgett's ex-boyfriend's house.

♪

- And why did he feel it necessary

to go rough up Bridgett?

narrator: According to the witness,

Alex had overheard Bridgett telling a friend

about the drive-by shooting.

narrator: He says that night,

Alex had him hide in the back of his SUV

while they drove around looking for Bridgett.

narrator: Bridgett got in, and they drove off

to the edge of the woods.

And... [sighs]

Instead...

- At any point, did he tell you he was going

to take her there to kill her?

narrator: The witness also told them that Alex disposed

of Bridgett's cell phone.

He has agreed to take them to it.

- The witness has been totally cooperative to this point.

Everything he's told us seems to match up

with what we got, and we have no reason at this point

to believe that he's not being honest with us.

♪

narrator: First, they take the witness

to the crime scene, where he reenacts the murder.

- OK.

♪

narrator: Then the witness takes them to the cell phone.

♪

- How'd y'all find this off-the-wall place?

♪

- OK.

narrator: They find the remains

of the phone.

♪

[upbeat music]

Cassidy has enough for a warrant.

- So we're going to pick up Alex

at his parents' house.

We've been warned by his friend

that he has access to a handgun,

a sniper rifle, and an AK-47.

He has military training, so we're not gonna take

any chances with him.

- You always assume, as a police officer,

that every suspect that you try to arrest

is a danger to you.

But certainly, when you have information that this person

has access to this level of weaponry,

and he brags about the fact that he's not gonna be ever

taken into custody, you take the necessary steps

to protect you and your team.

If you talk about gun availability

in the United States, we have every reason

to have stricter gun laws.

Guns in the hands of immature young people

is a recipe for disaster.

narrator: Patrol and the Gulf Coast

Violent Offenders Task Force

head out to arrest Alex.

♪

[knocking on door]

- Police! Open the door!

[dramatic music]

Come on in. Come on, come on.

narrator: They find Alex inside unarmed

and take him into custody.

♪

- So there were only three people

in the woods that night.

One of them's dead,

and one of them is saying Alex did it.

So we'd really like to get Alex's side

to see what his version is.

Alex, how's it going?

♪

- Before I ask any questions, obviously,

we did arrest you this morning,

so you are considered in custody,

so I'm required to read you these rights

before I talk to you, OK?

- Yes, sir.

You have the right to remain silent,

not make any statement at all.

narrator: Deputy James Cassidy reads Alex his Miranda rights.

- Having been advised of these rights,

do you wish to talk to us this morning?

♪

♪

- OK.

That's within your right, man.

Do you have any questions for me or anything?

- Correct.

Head down this way. - Hello, camera.

- Say again. - I said, "Hello, camera."

- All right.

♪

[soft music]

♪

narrator: Louisville, Kentucky,

just before 5:00 a.m...

[phone rings]

[sirens wail]

narrator: Police and paramedics arrive

and a find a house riddled with bullet holes.

Inside, three teenage boys have been shot.

- [crying]

[sirens wailing]

narrator: The boys are rushed to the hospital.

Two of them survive their wounds.

The third one dies.

[dramatic music]

♪

- I wanna look at the scene.

♪

narrator: Two of the victims were struck

while sleeping in the front bedroom.

♪

- Dominique--shot in the leg. LaJuan--shot in the back.

♪

narrator: The deceased victim is 18-year-old LaJuan Smith.

He had been spending the night at his friend's house

when he was shot.

He was the father of a one-year-old daughter.

♪

The second victim is 19-year-old Dominique Smith.

Dominique was the friend LaJuan was visiting

at the time of the shooting.

He was shot in the leg and is expected to survive.

♪

- Oh, wow.

We have a hole in the wall right here,

and it appears the projectile came through

and struck the 14-year-old child where he was sleeping.

The only hole in this wall

is where the child's head was laying.

♪

narrator: The third victim is 14-year-old Darius Smith,

Dominique's younger brother.

He is critical condition at the hospital

with a gunshot wound to the head.

- One in a million-- I mean, unbelievable.

♪

- Imagine sleeping in your home,

and all of a sudden, it's riddled with bullets.

♪

Kids involved that have not done anything to anybody.

A person that seeks revenge like that is dangerous

because he doesn't care how many people

"I take down, as long as I get my intended target."

It's a senseless crime.

There's devastation all the way around.

♪

- Must have shot through the window.

♪

There were seven people inside this house last night.

Somebody's awfully angry just to stand outside with an AK-47

and shoot a house.

Somebody that would do something like that

is just coldhearted.

♪

♪

narrator: Then...

- Can I talk to you for a second?

narrator: The sister of the two surviving victims

returns from the hospital

with information about the shooting.

- I know you're going through a lot right now.

But I need all the help I can get from you all.

♪

narrator: Around 1:00 in the morning, she says,

two men came to her house.

One of them was looking for her brother, Dominique.

narrator: She says it looked like

the men were holding guns.

♪

narrator: Patrol searched the neighborhood

for the suspects.

The family went to bed.

♪

- When you said they came back to your house

at 5:00 in the morning, how did you know it was them?

- But you didn't see them?

♪

♪

♪

♪

narrator: She says the man who was looking for Dominique

is named George Gonzalez.

- Do you have any idea where George might be right now?

- Nah.

- I appreciate it. Take care.

♪

- That's him.

- We just need to put him here at 5:00 in the morning.

I'm gonna go to the hospital to talk to the family.

♪

narrator: Dominique confirms that George Gonzalez

and another man came by the house looking for him

earlier that night.

But he did not see George shoot.

♪

♪

narrator: He says he got into a fight

with George's younger brother two months earlier.

The brother wanted to get back at him.

♪

- I'm gonna leave you my card.

It appears that he was the main target of this attack.

Our feeling is that George Gonzalez

is our best suspect.

♪

He's got quite an extensive arrest record.

He's got a black Chrysler,

a silver Ford.

narrator: 20-year-old George Gonzalez

was pulled over three days earlier in a tan Ford Taurus

registered to a young woman.

♪

- Registration comes back to a female

in Danville, Kentucky, which is about two hours south

of Louisville.

Thank you.

narrator: Then...

♪

- Detective Cohn.

narrator: Cohn gets a call from an attorney

who says he represents George Gonzalez.

- Ah, really? OK.

narrator: The attorney says George heard the police

were looking for him and offered

to come in and talk.

- Yeah, I've gotta get a few things worked out

before you bring him in, but that would be great.

Bye-bye.

- Wow.

- He was kind of fishing, wanted know what was going on.

If there's a lawyer involved,

chances are you're not gonna get a confession in this.

I need to shore up the case

as far as collecting any evidence that I can,

any witness testimony.

♪

[phone rings]

Detective Cohn.

narrator: Cohn hears back from Danville police.

They found the woman who owns the Ford Taurus.

- OK, great.

narrator: The woman admitted to being in Louisville

the night of the shooting.

She said she stayed in a hotel.

OK, great.

Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.

Bye-bye.

♪

How you doing?

♪

We've got her staying here.

I just wanna see if she's with anybody else.

♪

- Ah. - There she is.

Oh, look at that.

♪

That looks like George to me.

♪

narrator: The woman walks into the hotel with George

at 5:48 a.m., one hour after the shooting happened.

- That's awesome. That's great right there.

- Looks like it's time to go to Danville.

[soft rock music]

♪

[dramatic music]

- How do you know George Gonzalez?

- [distorted voice]

♪

narrator: She says she met up with George

at a gas station parking lot.

narrator: She claims she went to a hotel

and checked in alone.

- Well,

what would you say if I don't know

that I totally believe you?

- A lot of people choose not to get involved

in a homicide investigation for fear of retaliation.

And in some communities, there's a no-snitch policy.

"No matter what happens, we don't tell the police."

That's works fine until you find yourself

on the bad end of that.

So that's a double-edged sword

to live by.

- George put you in the middle of something...

♪

And now you know something that you don't wanna talk about.

♪

I don't know what your reasoning is,

but you're not telling us what's really there.

♪

♪

- [distorted voice]

♪

- If George is behind bars,

you don't need to fear him anymore.

♪

Will you open up and talk to me a little bit about it?

♪

♪

And, like, you know, I just...

narrator: She says she followed George in her car.

They drove to a dark street that she didn't recognize.

♪

narrator: She got into George's car,

while he got into her Ford Taurus and drove off.

♪

- OK, now, this is very important,

right here, OK?

Very important. - Yes.

- When he got in your car and said he'd be right back,

did you see him carrying anything?

♪

♪

- That long?

- It's great.

You got a witness that puts him in possession of a firearm.

It's fantastic.

♪

- How long was he gone when he left with your car?

narrator: Then he returned.

She says she followed him to a friend's apartment

to drop off his car.

Then they went to the hotel.

- That hurts George pretty daggone bad.

- OK, I'll let you out of here, OK?

- OK.

♪

narrator: That night,

Cohn gets a surprise phone call at home.

♪

- I gotta wake up a little bit.

narrator: Patrol has arrested George Gonzalez

after he ran a stop sign and refused to pull over.

- I'll be back here in a minute, all right?

- Sit down.

[sighs]

- He's a pretty angry, cocky,

arrogant dude, and I'll be shocked

if he gives us any kind of statement.

All right, dude.

- Right, he probably told you to stay out of trouble

and stay inside till then, didn't he?

- Mm, yeah.

- Yeah.

Well, that's why we're talking right now.

♪

You have the right to ask for an attorney.

You can also talk to me, and if you feel at any point

you wanna stop talking to me,

you can always stop talking to me, OK?

- I--

♪

- Sunday night, at around 1:00, 2:00 in the morning,

something like that,

there's a house on Hale.

You go over there, and you wanna talk

to somebody in that house.

♪

I mean, the people in the house

tell me that you're beefing with somebody in there.

Dominique.

You're beefing with Dominique over something.

- What was the purpose of going over there

at 2:00 in the morning?

♪

narrator: George mentions a patrol officer

with whom he has had several confrontations.

[vocalizes rapid gunshots]

♪

- I can see how upset you get when somebody disrespects you.

♪

Here's what I'm thinking.

I'm thinking you had beef with Dominique.

♪

- Well, there was beef. I mean--

- No--tell me, go ahead.

- Go ahead, tell me, tell me.

[sighs] - OK.

♪

- Guy's got some serious anger management issues.

Now it's time for justice to take its course.

♪

The only thing that would make this case perfect,

in my opinion, would be if we could find

the AK-47 or the assault rifle

that was used during the shooting.

♪

We got a search warrant for both of 'em right now.

♪

- Oh, yeah! - Oh, yeah, please.

[exhales sharply]

Wow, it's an SKS with a banana clip.

- Banana clip.

- He is done.

This makes the case solid right here.

This is a good, solid case.

♪

George, you're being charged with murder.

- [sighs]

narrator: Almost two months after the shooting,

14-year-old Darius Smith is released from the hospital.

Cohn pays him a visit.

- Feels weird, like, being like this

'cause it's like I got dead weight.

- I think you look great.

Keep going through that physical therapy,

and keep working on that.

- You know who's amazing?

- Give it time. - Stephen Hawking.

He can't move his body either.

But he's really, really, really smart--

a strong brain.

♪

- My boy said they gonna make it.

We gonna make it.

♪

- I've handled cases where people felt like,

"I have to do what I have to do to survive

or what I feel like I have to do to revenge a loved one."

They make irrational decisions,

and if you talk to them at a later time,

They'll tell you, "I wish I had just taken

"just a little bit more time before I made this decision

and impacted my life in this way."

♪